X-Message-Number: 5645
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 1996 17:06:30 GMT
From: Garret Smyth <>
Subject: neuro vs WB

dave <> wrote:
 
> The debate on neuro vs whole-body has been going on since the beginning of 
> cryonics.

Not quite, but long enough.
 
> There now is a new reason to consider whole-body.
> 
> Alcor's biochemist, Hugh Hixon has recently learned new information about 
> cracking and how to avoid some, maybe a lot of it.

So for in the debate no one has cited as the fracture problem as being either
favouring neuro or whole body. Overcomeing fracturing during freezing doesn't
help either side of the arguement. It certainly doesn't make the patient
any less dead of whatever lead to their need for cryonics in the first
place, it doesn't do anyhting about ageing either. The improvement in
the freezing process on the large scale deosn't help with the major damage
on the micro scale.

Even perfect preservation of single organs will not be a help for the
whole body arguement, since patients will still have to wait until ageing
 can be reveresed, and they will still need most tissues to be refurbished
on a molecular level. Large scale replacement is much more likely to be easier
than refurbishment.

> The bottom line is that cryonics companies may soon be able to freeze 
> persons without any cracking.  When that happens there will be a strong
> motivation to opt for whole body as it may be easier and sooner to
> unfreeze and restore a whole body patient than to unfreeze and restore a 
> neuro and then try to grow a new body and do the hook up.

Once again: it is hardly ever easier to repair every tiny bit of something
than replace it. Look at the histories of people being suspended. They were all
very sick when suspended, and often old (that's why they needed freezing!)
It would be gross misconduct to try to revive any of them until we have the 
ability to cure their diseases, reverse ageing and repair freezing damage.

The technology of organ growth and replacement is already starting and to
some extent available now. Technology needed to revive whole bodies is
still decades away form being available, at its earliest.


-- 
Garret Smyth					An Alcor member

Phone:  0181 789 1045 or +44 181 789 1045


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